There are about 70 different color variations of domesticated mice,
including the popular albino ones most commonly seen in labs and pet shops.
Regardless of what color they are, they are all members of the same family and
are descended from the ordinary house mouse. Mice are naturally prolific, and a
person keeping more than one as pets may soon find themselves overwhelmed by
the sheer number of mice that a healthy breeding pair can produce. Mice can
usually start having babies about two months after they’re born.
If you have one male mouse and one or two fertile females, it’s possible
that after six months you may find yourself responsible for almost 100 mice!
That’s assuming that each female gives birth to a healthy litter of eight. If
all you want to do is enjoy the pet mice you have, get one or more females.
More than one male in a cage will have them fighting for territory. If you do
intend to breed your pet mice, include some sort of box or container in the
enclosure where each mom-to-be can have some privacy, and some nesting material
in the form of cotton, shredded newspaper, or strips of cloth.
When you notice one or more of your mice gaining weight and tearing at the
nesting material that means they’re going to have babies. You can probably
separate the male mouse from the females at this point since right now his
antics may just stress the females unnecessarily. Also, if any of the babies
are male, he may attack them as they grow older. Make sure to give the expectant
mothers plenty of peace and privacy or they may injure their own babies from
the stress.
Once the babies are born, the mommies know what to do and soon you may have
a veritable mouse factory going on since a female mouse is ready, willing and
able to mate again within a day of giving birth! Good luck.
Summary
Mice are clean, smart, and fun to watch. They’re also kind of cute. Once
they’re home, you can add ladders or swings for them to play on and they’ll no
doubt provide you with hours of amusement.